To Lead by Example

Being of the mind that we are to be a light, that we are to convince, rebuke and exhort, we have begun going out to our local abortion mill on Sunday mornings. Our abortion mill is unique in that we have 9 churches within a ½ mile of this death clinic. It is also unique in that not one pastor, nor parishioner of these nine churches, have graced the sidewalks of the abortuary right outside their church doors. (Well, maybe that part isn’t unique.) After years of trying to encourage these pastors to take part in ending child sacrifice outside their churches, today we took it to their congregations … at the mill … as they were going to church.

We stood outside the mill and pointed out the abortuary to all passersby, armed with a 5′ X 4′ picture of an aborted child’s head, and a sign that read, “For this cause, this nation shall perish.”

While there, my son and I were confronted by one of the local church goers who happened to walk by. He admonished me “in the name of the Lord” that what we were doing was not right. He said Sunday was a day of *peace* and not to “protest abortion.” (Hmmm … I wonder if the abortion mills in Wichita, KS and Omaha, NE know that – given they kill babies on Sundays.)

I was told I was a terrible father for keeping my son out of church on Sunday morning to do this “protest.” He proudly proclaimed that he takes his son to church every Sunday.

Then he got spiritual on me. He said the key to abortion was to put the abortion sign down, get on my knees and pray the prayer of faith, and the abortion mill would close.

He asked me, “Don’t you have faith enough, that if you were to get on your knees right here, right now, that God would close this abortion mill tomorrow?” I exclaimed, “NO! God has called His people, His Church to fight this battle.”

I asked him if he had that kind of faith. He exclaimed that his faith was strong enough to do that. I eagerly pleaded with him to please pray it so I could go home. He responded, “Well, I’m not gonna do it just because you want me to” and then left. The abortion mill was open next day as usual. (Nuts! There were a lot of other things I’d much rather do!)

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In the Christian life, there are those who lead by word, while others lead by example. Those who have gone to jail in defense of the unborn, and those who man the picket lines “live out” the faith that others only profess. To proclaim that “abortion is murder” and yet not live out that belief, will only show ourselves to be hypocrites to our children. It is that kind of weak faith that has caused the church in America to be the object of ridicule and scorn to the world (and secular media). It is well deserved. We have proclaimed faith, yet live as though we have none. Brother takes brother to court; “Christian” women gets abortions at almost the same rate as those who do not profess faith; we call Jesus LORD, yet think it wrong to witness in the workplace fearing we will be called a “radical.”

I have often read of Jesus’ promises that we will be “persecuted.” Armed with the fact that this would happen, I prepared for it.

It never came.

I asked the Lord why I was not experiencing the persecution He told us we would face. The answer was simple. I was not doing anything “Christian” enough to deserve persecution! I made friends at work, and just figured that my life would be all the witness they would need. I never proclaimed the gospel – as that might make my co-workers uncomfortable – and thus ruin my Christian testimony. Jesus seemed to put a different spin on this whole thought line. He made Himself of “NO REPUTATION.” He cared more about pleasing the Father, than pleasing man. It would seem that when we begin to live as Jesus did, we will receive that persecution He spoke of. Until then, we will live out lives that are comfortable and outwardly “nice,” but make no difference in the Kingdom of God.

My son will know abortion is wrong because of my faithfulness in combating the forces of Satan on their own turf. He will see that the Christian faith is more than Sunday morning services, but that it has teeth, it has substance. It is something worth living for – and dying for. He will endure persecution because he will not choose the road most traveled by, but the road of the Cross that entails sacrifice and suffering. He will know that the living out the faith must be ‘in season, and out of season.’ He will know this because I will lead by example. I will not only “SAY,” but “DO” as well. It is my duty to leave him a heritage of faith and action. Woe to me, if I do not.